Hermetically Sealed Drink Cover for Cans or Bottles

ABSTRACT

A hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles that prevents the spread of disease associated with drinking directly from cans or bottles contaminated by pathogens. The hermetic seal drink cover for cans or bottles, comprises of a material having properties similar to latex and a removable tamper evident ring attached to the material.

BACKGROUND

The present invention is directed to a device that will prevent thespread of pathogens when drinking directly from cans or bottles thathave not been cleaned.

It is well known in the food and beverage industry that the cans orbottles being transported might be exposed to pathogens.

Pathogens can be of animal or chemical origin. For example, it is wellknown that in many warehouses that store canned or bottled goods thereare rodents or critters that carry bacteria that cause disease. Theserodents or critters are known to urinate or defecate on canned orbottled goods. Theses canned or bottled goods usually will go from thewarehouses directly to a retail sales outlet. When the cans or bottlesreach the retail sales outlets, the cans or bottles usually aredisplayed to the public for public consumption.

A majority of the public purchasing the cans or bottles from retailsales outlets will purchase the cans or bottles and shortly thereafterconsume the products within the cans or bottles without first washingthem. As such, when consumers place the openings of the cans or bottlesto their mouth, any pathogens on the cans or bottles will be transmittedto the consumers.

It is also known in the food industry, that even when no pathogens aredisplaced on the cans or bottles during their transport, it is foreseenthat pathogens might be displaced on the cans or bottles at the retailoutlets. For example, it is foreseen that cans or bottles will bedisplayed on counters of retail outlets where rodents or critters mightbe present. It is foreseen that theses rodents or critters will do theirnecessities on the cans or bottles while searching for food in theretail outlets.

Cans or bottles might also be contaminated by pathogens by the simpleact of humans moving the cans or bottles from one place to another.Humans can contaminate the cans or bottles by negligently spreadingtheir pathogens to the cans or bottles. Contamination can be a simpleaccident as a human sneezing on a can or bottle or it can be a morenegligent act, for example a human failing to wash his hands when movingthe cans or bottles from one place to another.

A further way that cans or bottles can be contaminated would be by theexposure to chemicals used in warehouses to prevent rodent or critterinfestation. Warehouses are periodically sprayed to prevent rodent orcritter infestation and it is foreseen that some of the chemicals usedto prevent rodent or critter infestation would be dispersed on the cansor bottles.

It is known that people have developed intestinal disorders frompathogens on cans or bottles, yet it is difficult to gauge the severityof the problem, for most intestinal disorders are remedied withoutseeking medical advice.

An object of the present invention is to provide a drink cover that willhermetically cover the mouth and neck of a can or bottle so thatpathogens will not be displaced on the mouth or neck of the can orbottle.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the transmittal ofpathogens to consumers who drink directly from cans or bottles.

Yet, a further object of the present invention is to provide aninexpensive hermetically sealed drink cover that is placed over themouth and neck of cans or bottles.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a hermetically sealeddrink cover for cans or bottles that will cover the mouth and neck of acan or bottle.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a hermetically sealed drink coverfor cans or bottles that prevents the spread of disease associated withdrinking directly from cans or bottles contaminated by pathogens. Thehermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles, comprises of amaterial having properties similar to latex and a removable tamperevident ring surrounding the circumference of the material.

The material can be made of latex, polyethylene, polypropylene or anyother similar plastic. The material is tightly placed over the side ofthe can or bottle defining the mouth of the can or bottle and made totightly drape over the circumference of the neck of the can or bottle.

The removable tamper evident ring is fixedly attached to the materialafter the material is tightly draped over the neck of the can or bottleat the neck juncture of the can or bottle.

The present invention allows cans or bottles to be hermetically sealedby first tightly placing the material over the side of the can or bottlehaving the mouth, then tightly draping the material over the neck of thecan or bottle, and lastly attaching a removable tamper evident ring overthe material that is draped over the can or bottle at the neck junctureof the can or bottle.

It is foreseen that six packs of cans can be individually covered in themanner described above. The advantage to this type of hermeticallysealed drink cover is that it allows cans or six-packs to be stackedupon each other without puncturing the hermetic seals, for the materialsused to form the hermetic seals have flexible qualities.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims, and drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows a semi-perspective of a hermetically sealed drink cover forcans or bottles, the drink cover shown is an embodiment for covering themouth of cans;

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of how the embodiment of FIG. 1 would covera six pack of cans; and

FIG. 3 shows a semi-perspective of a hermetically sealed drink cover forcans or bottles, the drink cover shown is an embodiment for covering themouth of bottles.

DESCRIPTION

As seen in FIG. 1-3, a hermetically sealed drink cover 20 for cans 100or bottles 200, comprises a material 10 having properties similar tolatex and a removable tamper evident ring 12 attached to the material10.

The material 10 can be made of latex, polyethylene, polypropylene or anyother similar plastic. The removable tamper evident ring 12 is attachedthe peripheral edges of the material 10. The material 10 might becircular shaped. The material 10 is tightly placed over the end of thecan 100 or bottle 200 defining the mouth of the can 100 or bottle 200and made to tightly drape over the circumference of the neck of the can100 or bottle 200.

The removable tamper evident ring 12 is attached to the edges of thematerial 10 after the material 10 is draped over the neck of the can 100or bottle 200 at the neck juncture of the can 100 or bottle 200.

A method of using the hermetically sealed drink cover 20 for cans 100 orbottles 200, comprises the steps of first providing a can 100 or bottle200, then tightly placing the material 10 over the side of the can 100or bottle 200 having the mouth, next draping the material 10 over theneck of the can 100 or bottle 200, and lastly fixedly attaching a tamperevident ring 12 over the circumference of the material 10 draped overthe neck of the can 100 or bottle 200.

As seen in FIG. 2, in an embodiment of the invention, six of thehermetically sealed drink covers for cans or bottles will be attached toeach other so that a six pack of cans will be covered.

An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a drink coverthat hermetically covers the mouth and neck of a can or bottle so thatpathogens are not be displaced on the mouth or neck of the can orbottle.

Another advantage of the present invention is that it reduces thetransmittal of pathogens to consumers who drink directly from cans orbottles.

Yet, a further advantage of the present invention is that it provides aninexpensive hermetically sealed drink cover that is placed over themouth and neck of cans or bottles.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions arepossible. Therefore the spirit and the scope of the claims should not belimited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.

1. A hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles, comprising: a material having properties similar to latex; and a removable tamper evident ring attached to the material.
 2. The hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles of claim 1, wherein the material is latex, polyethylene, polypropylene or plastic.
 3. The hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles of claim 2, wherein the ring is attached to the peripheral edges of the material.
 4. The hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles of claim 3, wherein the material is circular is shape.
 5. The hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles of claim 4, wherein six of the hermetically sealed drink covers for cans or bottles will be attached to each other so that a six pack of cans will be covered.
 6. A method of using the hermetically sealed drink cover for cans or bottles of claim 4, comprising the steps of: first, providing a can or bottle; then, placing the material over the end of the can or bottle having the mouth; next, draping the material over the neck of the can or bottle; and lastly, attaching the removable tamper evident ring over the circumference of the material draped over the neck of the can or bottle. 